PUC Subcommittees / Public Utilities Commission

Subcommittees

Under Minn. Stat. § 216A.03, subd. 8, the Commission may create subcommittees on various topics. The Commission can assign any of its legislative, administrative, or quasi-judicial functions to a subcommittee. For example, subcommittees may receive briefings from staff, make decisions on specific topics or types of dockets, issue notices, hold meetings, or take other actions.

Currently, the Commission has appointed subcommittees on Uncontested Proceedings (referred to as the Consent Agenda), Participant Compensation, Consumer Affairs, and Resolution of Appeals of Assessments. More information on these subcommittees can be found below. Starting in 2024, subcommittee-related filings can also be found in the annual YR-16 docket in eDockets (for example, for 2024, the docket number would be 24-16).

If a party, participant, or Commissioner objects to a subcommittee decision, it is referred to the full Commission. If there are no objections to a subcommittee decision within 10 days, the subcommittee’s decision is considered a decision of the full Commission. Parties or participants may request in a filing that the Commission not delegate a proceeding to a subcommittee. More information about subcommittee procedures can be found in Minn. Stat. § 216A.03, subd. 8.

Participant Compensation
Consent Agenda
Consumer Affairs
Resolution of Appeals of Assessment

Participant Compensation
- The Participant Compensation Subcommittee is appointed to handle requests under Minn. Stat. § 216B.631. This statute allows eligible nonprofits and Tribal governments to be compensated for their participation in certain Commission dockets.
- The subcommittee will review and make decisions on participant compensation requests, allowing the Commission to handle these requests more efficiently and quickly.
- Decisions of the subcommittee will be announced in a formal written order, which will be filed in the docket that is related to the request for participant compensation.
Consent Agenda

When the Commission is asked for regulatory decisions that are not disputed or novel, it may be referred to the Commission’s Consent Agenda and a decision will be made by the Uncontested Proceeding Subcommittee—a process for quickly making decisions about non-controversial issues.

When an issue is referred to the Consent Agenda, it will be added to the PUC Consent Agenda decision webpage. When the Subcommittee has made a decision, the orders will be eFiled in the appropriate dockets and added to the "Consent Agenda Decisions" portion of the webpage.

Unless a party, a participant, or a Commissioner files an objection to a decision within ten calendar days of the day it is issued, it will become the Order of the full Commission under Minn, Stat. § 216A.03, subd. 8(b).

Orders can be found in eDockets and links below in the "Consent Agenda Decisions" section.

Any questions can be directed to Hannah Olson, paralegal, at Hannah.M.Olson@state.mn.us.

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Consumer Affairs

The Consumer Affairs Subcommittee is appointed to receive briefings and take actions on consumer affairs-related issues. The subcommittee will receive regular briefings about the work of the Commission’s Consumer Affairs Office, including ongoing and emerging consumer issues, and could direct staff to take further actions such as opening an investigation, drafting a letter, issuing an information request, or holding a planning meeting on a consumer issue. The subcommittee could potentially make decisions on dockets primarily related to consumer issues, such as any Commission investigations initiated by the subcommittee.
Resolution of Appeals of Assessment

The Subcommittee on Resolution of Appeals of Assessment is appointed to resolve appeals of assessments charged to utilities, transmission companies, and other entities under Minn. Stat. §§ 216B.62 or telephone companies under Minn. Stat. § 237.295.